The Hindu Business Line : Maharashtra to set up terminal market for farm produce

THE Maharashtra Government will shortly float a global tender inviting private investments for setting up a terminal market for farmers in the State to directly sell their produce.The investment is estimated at Rs 200 crore.

"The terminal market is being set up with the objective of breaking the hold of traders and middlemen in the markets run by the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC)," the State Minister for Marketing, Mr Harshwardhan Patil, told Business Line.

The State Government will provide land and all the infrastructure support for the proposed market to be set up on a 92-acre land at Bapegaon, in Thane district, the Minister said.

Mr Patil said that the National Dairy Development Board has already shown interest in the proposed market.

The Government's objective is to create alternative marketing facilities for farmers so that they can get better price for their produce. Currently, traders are said to have a control over the APMC market prices, which leave very low margin for the primary producer. There are seven APMC divisions and 285 APMC markets in the State. The Centre has recommended to all the States to set up alternative market for farmers and make necessary changes in the APMC Act. Maharashtra made the changes in 2002. Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act has been in force since 1963.

Talking about strategy behind setting up of the new market, Mr Patil said, "We want to create a competitive market for agriculture produce by removing the middle men which would create opportunity for direct marketing. We are, therefore, creating terminal markets and farmers' markets. We also want private market yards to be set up so that the farmers can have more choices. In this scenario the governance will only act as a nodal body for the sector." These initiatives will create employment, he added.

Mr Sunil Porwal, Secretary, Marketing, Government of Maharashtra, said: "the APMC market is a buyers market, we want to create a sellers market by giving more option to the farmers. Sustainable change can only be brought in giving more option to the farmers."

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